John lane



@with gister ganar @frn JOHN LANE', OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 73,983,jdatcd February 4, 1868.

IMPROVED MODE CI I'ORMING PLOUGH-LAYS.

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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: v

Be it known that I, JOHN LANE, of Chicago, in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improved Mode of Manufacturing Plough-Lays; and I do hereby declare and make known that the following is a full,`clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My said invention relates particularly Ato the manufacture of steel plough-lays, the mode of sharpening, the use ofthe centreof the slab-blank for the cutting-edge of the lay, and the production, by rolling, of a sharpened plough-lay blank,.as is hereinafter described and set forth.

The object of my invention is to enable me to produee'a better plough-lay, and at less expense, than by any other method. y

It is well known that the usual way of sharpening plo.ugh-lays, as heretofore practised, has been to draw them, sharpened,l under a hammer, which is laborious, and will draw endwise, becoming convex along the edge, thereverse of what is desired, and that the sharpening has always been formed on one of the edges ofthe steel slabor blank; and it is also well known that the ends and edges of all slab steel are not as good'in quality as is'along the centre, and. that no heretofore effort hasproduced, by rolling, a sharpened blank for plough-lays.

To enable those skilled in the art to understand how to manufacture and use my said improvement, I will now proceed-to describe the same with partioularit'y, making reference to the accompanying drawings.

I take a slab of steel, in width suitable for two lays, of any desired length, which, when heated to a working heat, I pass between two properly-constructed rolls that shall reduce the thickness along the centre of the slab, from end to end, to the desired shape of a sharpened plough-lay blank, one each side of the centre line. Referring to-thc drawings, Figure l, the rolls are shownas 'I prefer to make them, the lower roll, a, being straight, the upper roll, I1, having an enlargement in the centre, of the shape required to produce the desired shape of sharpening. Other-shaped rolls maybe used, producing any desired shape of sharpening. Figure 2 shows the steel slab as, after having'been reduced along the centre by passing between the rolls, now to be parted by cutting along the centre line a', producing two sharpened blanks of the shape desired for plough-lay blanks, one ci which is shown in Figure 3, showing a bar of steel equal in thickness throughout, except a portion along one edge of the bar, which, in the rolling of the bar, has been bevelled down on one side, forming an edge for the ploughlay, and which bar may be of any desired thickness and size required for manufacturing ploughlays from, and from which plough-lays may now be out, formed to shape, hardened, and linished for use, by any of the usual mechanical appliances for the doing of such work. The line of bevel, from edge to back of'bevel, I make either straight, concave, or convex, as may be desired.

Other processes of rolling may be used for producing the blank shown in fig. 3.

The advantages resulting by use of my invention are great. By thus sharpening the plonglrlays I am enabled to have the edge from the best portion of the steel. l I am also enabled to counteract. all tendency to become convex on the edge, as th'e thin web of the centre holds the sidesfrom travel other than in a straight line. I am also enabled to sharpen plough-lay blanks at very much less expense than heretofore. The blanks being rolled to desired shape at the steel-mills in large quantities, are furnished to the plough-makers at only slight advance above common steel, unsliarpened, doing away with the necessity of trip-hammers and handhammering in plough-works,l for sharpening plough-lay blanks.-

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to secure'by Letters Patent, is

I claim the method herein described of making plough-lays, that is to say, by iirst reducing, by means of rolls, a slab of steel along its centre, from end to end, to the shape described, then slitting said slab along the line of its greatest depression, and afterwards cutting the same crosswise, .in suitable lengths for plough-lays as set forth.

JOHN LANE.

Witnesses J. WrB. Yonne, GEO. H. LAUeH'roN. 

